It was Darwinism. All the guys who were stupid enough to use cell phones in Baghdad kept getting hit, hit, hit, and hit. That was their way of culling the herd, though it had the negative side effect of leaving the smarter and more powerful operatives in place, the ones who were good at internal cou…
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Quotes tagged ‘What Is ISIS’
Possibly the most worrying aspect of ISIS’s operational potential comes from its unprecedented wealth. According to files seized by Iraqi intelligence before the attack on Mosul, ISIS had £515 million in cash and assets. While it appears the seizure of funds from Mosul may have been initially overst…
Many mainstream Muslim organizations have gone so far as to say the Islamic State is, in fact, un-Islamic. It is, of course, reassuring to know that the vast majority of Muslims have zero interest in replacing Hollywood movies with public executions as evening entertainment. But Muslims who call the…
The roots of ISIS can be traced in part to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent emergence of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), founded by Jordanian national Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
ISIS presents itself to an embattled Sunni minority in Iraq, and an even more persecuted and victimized Sunni majority in Syria, as the sect’s last line of defense against a host of enemies— the ‘infidel’ United States, the ‘apostate’ Gulf Arab states, the ‘Nusayri’ Alawite dictatorship in Syria, th…
The acronym ISIS stands for ‘the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (al-Sham).
How did ISIS grow to become so powerful? - Feelings of disenfranchisement - Unlikely bedfellows - Syrian chaos - Iraqi chaos - Racketeering and extortion - Taxation and exploitation - Selling oil
The attraction of the Islamic State was the state. The ideology lured people in, but the destination was more important: an idyllic Sunni land. When that goes away, I think much of the attraction of I.S. will go with it.’
ISIS may use terrorism as a tactic, but it is not a terrorist organization. Rather, it is a pseudo-state led by a conventional army. So the counterterrorism strategies that were useful against al Qaeda won’t work in the fight against ISIS.
ISIS aims to create an Islamic state called a caliphate across Iraq, Syria and beyond. The group is implementing Sharia Law, rooted in eighth century Islam, to establish a society that mirrors the region's ancient past.
ISIS is a terrorist organization, but it isn’t only a terrorist organization. It is also a mafia adept at exploiting decades-old transnational gray markets for oil and arms trafficking. It is a conventional military that mobilizes and deploys foot soldiers with a professional acumen that has impress…